There’s always something a bit arch about Purcell duet recordings. Perhaps it’s the double-countertenor effect. Whatever the problem, it’s one that countertenor Iestyn Davies and soprano Carolyn Sampson banish within moments in this superb album.

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Rather than stick to Baroque, they roam further afield to Mendelssohn, Schumann and Quilter, with the Purcell heard in its bracing Britten arrangements. Uniting them is a vivacity, an unforced sweetness that manages to avoid becoming cloying. There’s sentiment in plenty, but the irrepressible energy of the performers (Joseph Middleton’s piano accompaniments are models of finessed virtuosity) means it never overwhelms.

Sampson’s glossy, bright soprano just...